Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
Union leadership representing Wright State University faculty members believe university administrators seek to “fire” senior, tenured faculty — and the president of the union said the university has hired an external labor attorney to assist Wright State in contract talks.
Leaders of the AAUP (American Association of University Professors)-WSU chapter shared their concerns with faculty in a special chapter meeting Tuesday.
“Once they hired this guy, I can tell you I got super nervous,” said Noeleen McIlvenna, president of the union representing nearly 500 Wright State faculty members. “That’s in fact why I called the meeting and didn’t just write it all out to the faculty.”
“We consult an attorney, but we don’t have a regular attorney on our team,” she added. “Our negotiator is a music professor. They (the university) already have two or three attorneys on their team — and they are calling in another.”
A message seeking a response was sent to a university spokesman Thursday. If the university responds, this story will be updated.
Sue Edwards, president of the university, has called for renewed contract talks with Wright State’s three employee unions to respond to new state budget cuts and an economy severely damaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
